🚀 Stellar Defender - Complete Guide

Welcome to the complete guide for Stellar Defender, a fast-paced space shooter game! This guide will help you master the game, understand all mechanics, and achieve high scores.

Game Overview

Stellar Defender is a vertical scrolling space shooter where you control a fighter ship at the bottom of the screen. Your mission is to survive waves of enemy ships, destroy them to score points, and collect power-ups to enhance your abilities.

Controls

Movement

• Arrow Keys or WASD - Move your ship in any direction
• Mouse/Touch - Move your ship by moving the mouse or touching the screen

Combat

• Space Bar or Click - Fire your weapons
• P - Pause/Resume the game

Game Mechanics

Scoring System

• Basic Enemy - 10 points × current wave
• Fast Enemy - 10 points × current wave (orange, faster movement)
• Tank Enemy - 30 points × current wave (red, requires 3 hits)
• Points Power-up - 100 points × current wave

Lives System

You start with 3 lives. You lose a life when:

• An enemy ship collides with your ship
• An enemy bullet hits your ship

When you lose a life, you get a brief period of invincibility (shield) to recover. The game ends when all lives are lost.

Wave System

The game progresses through waves of increasing difficulty:

• Each wave spawns more enemies: 5 + (wave × 2)
• Enemy speed increases with each wave
• Enemy bullet speed increases with each wave
• Higher waves = higher point multipliers!

Enemy Types

Basic Enemy (Red)

• Standard enemy ship
• 1 hit to destroy
• Moderate speed
• Shoots periodically

Fast Enemy (Orange)

• Faster movement speed
• 1 hit to destroy
• Smaller size, harder to hit
• More aggressive shooting

Tank Enemy (Dark Red)

• Larger and slower
• 3 hits to destroy (has health bar)
• More dangerous but worth more points
• Focus fire to take down quickly

Power-ups

Destroying enemies has a 15% chance to drop a power-up. Power-ups fall from the sky and must be collected by touching them with your ship.

💎 Rapid Fire

• Increases your firing rate
• Reduces cooldown between shots
• Permanent effect (stacks with multiple pickups)
• Color: Green

🛡️ Shield

• Grants temporary invincibility
• Lasts 5 seconds
• Protects from all damage
• Visual indicator: cyan circle around your ship
• Color: Blue

💥 Multi-Shot

• Fires 3 bullets at once (spread pattern)
• Lasts 10 seconds
• Great for clearing groups of enemies
• Bullets turn green when active
• Color: Magenta

⭐ Points

• Instant bonus points
• Value: 100 × current wave
• No time limit - immediate effect
• Color: Gold

Strategy Tips

Movement Strategy

• Keep Moving: Standing still makes you an easy target
• Use the Full Screen: Utilize all available space to dodge
• Predict Enemy Paths: Anticipate where enemies will be
• Stay Near Bottom: Gives you more time to react to threats

Combat Strategy

• Focus Fire: Take down one enemy at a time
• Prioritize Threats: Fast enemies first, then tanks
• Clear Bullets: Sometimes it's better to dodge than shoot
• Save Power-ups: Don't rush for power-ups if it's dangerous

Wave Progression

• Early Waves: Build up your score and collect power-ups
• Mid Waves: Focus on survival, enemies get faster
• Late Waves: Every point counts, play defensively
• High Score: Higher waves = exponentially more points!

Advanced Techniques

Bullet Dodging

Learn to read enemy bullet patterns. Most enemies shoot directly at your current position, so keep moving in a pattern that makes you hard to predict.

Power-up Timing

Don't always grab power-ups immediately. Sometimes it's safer to wait until you've cleared the immediate threats. Shield power-ups are especially valuable when you're about to take damage.

Enemy Spawn Patterns

Enemies spawn from the top in waves. Learn to recognize when a wave is ending and prepare for the next one. The brief pause between waves is a good time to reposition.

Scoring Tips

• Higher waves give more points per kill
• Destroying all enemies in a wave gives you a brief break
• Points power-ups scale with wave number
• Surviving longer = more opportunities for points

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Chasing Power-ups: Don't risk your life for power-ups
• Standing Still: Always keep moving
• Ignoring Fast Enemies: They're small but dangerous
• Wasting Shield: Use shield time to reposition safely
• Panic Shooting: Aim your shots, don't just spam

Practice Makes Perfect

Like any skill-based game, Stellar Defender requires practice. Start by focusing on survival, then work on maximizing your score. Learn enemy patterns, master the controls, and develop your own play style.

Good luck, pilot! May your aim be true and your reflexes sharp! 🚀